Boot flap tightener comprising a tightening lever having notches and a guard therefor



Jan. 3, 1967 F. BRUCKL 3 29 7 BOOT FLAP TIGHTENER COMPRISING A TIGHTENING LEVER HAVING NOTOHES AND A GUARD THEREFOR Filed March 18, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 FRANZ BRfic/rL INVENT OR ORNEYS Jan. 3, 1967 F. BRUCKL 3,295,177

BOOT FLAP TIGHTENER COMPRISING A TIGHTENING LEVER HAVING NOTCHES AND A GUARD THEREFOR Filed March 18, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR F RA NZ BRUGK L E/Whiz, Mfiw KTTORNEYS Jan. 3, 1967 F. BRUCKL 3,295,177

BOOT FLAP TIGHTENER COMPRISING A TIGHTENING LEVER HAVING NOTCHES AND A GUARD THEREFOR Filed March 18, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG. /2. FIG. /3.

"INVENTOR FHA NZ Bl-PU 6K1.

A ORNEYS Jan. 3, 1967 F. BRUCKL 3,295,177

BOOT FLAP TIGHTENER COMPRISING A TIGHTENING LEVER HAVING NOTCHES AND A GUARD THEREFOR Filed March 18, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FRANZ M17010.

INVENTOR A ORNEYS United States Patent 3,295,177 BOOT FLAP TIGHTENER COMPRISING A TIGHT- ENING LEVER HAVING NOTCHES AND A GUARD THEREFOR Franz Briickl, Hasentalstrasse 22, Garmisch- Partenkircllen, Germany Filed Mar. 18, 1965, Ser. No. 440,872 Claims priority, application Germany, Mar. 21, 1964, B 76,040 9 Claims. (Cl. 24-70) This invention relates to skiing boots of the type which has been introduced some time ago and in which the laces previously used for tightening the sides of the shank and for closing the slot in the shank are replaced by tightening lever fasteners. Such skiing boots are usually provided along the instep with overlapping closing lugs. One closing lug carries bearing brackets, to which tightening levers are pivoted. The other closing lug carries a tension element for the respective tightening lever. This tension element consists of either a bent wire element, a belt, a rope loop or the like. The tightening lever is tightenable by a movement away from the shank slot and has on its underside a plurality of notches or hooking portions, which are selectively engageable by the respective tension element in dependence on the shape of the foot, the thickness of the socks being worn and, above all, the desired tension. Then the tightening lever is closed. Owing to the curvature of the boot uppers and a correspondingly curved form of each tightening lever, or owing to a relatively large distance of the pivot of the tightening lever from the uppers, the tightening lever moves through a neutral position, where the tension element has the highest tension, so that the tension exerted by the tension element holds the tightening lever in its closed position.

It is also known to provide a permanent pivotal connection between a tightening lever and a tension element consisting of a long wire eye. In this case, the tightening lever has no selectively usable hooking portions. Instead, the other closing lug, which carries the tension element, is provided with a sheet metal fixture, which extends in the direction of tension and has a number of notches for engaging the tension element depending on the above-mentioned requirements.

Various modifications of these known tightening lever fasteners are on the market. All these fasteners have the common disadvantage that the desired notch or hook ink portion must be found by counting whenever the fasteners are closed unless the first or last hooking portion of the tightening lever or sheet metal fixture is con cerned. This counting must usually be performed for each fastener, i.e., usually ten times with a pair of skiing boots, and is inconvenient and time-consuming, particularly because the engagement must often be effected with notches having different distances from the ends of the tightening lever or sheet metal fixture in different fasteners of one and the same skiing boot. The insertion of the tension element into the correct notches with cold fingers is particularly difficult and must be performed very often because a very tight fit of the skiing boot is required for a downhill run whereas a somewhat looser fit is desired for climbing so that the movement of the foot is facilitated and the blood circulation is not obstructed.

For this reason, a tightening lever fastener has already been disclosed, in which the tension element consists of a wire eye and is held in the selected notch or hooking portion of the tightening lever by a leaf spring or the like, which can be swung against and secured to the tightening lever when the tension element has been hooked. The wire eye is connected to one end of a strip loop, the other end of which is secured to the base plate carrying Patented Jan. 3, 1967 "ice the bearing bracket for the tightening lever. Wire eyes are also secured to the other closing lug of the skiing boot and a strip loop is adapted to extend through these other wire eyes. When the tightening lever is turned over, it pulls the wire loop and the closing lug which carries the wire eye is pulled at this point to the tightening lever secured to the other closing lug. To obtain a looser fit during climbing, the tightening levers are simply opened and the wire loops are prolonged in effective length. The opening of the tightening levers does not entirely open the slot in the shank.- In this embodiment, a complete opening of the skiing boot requires that the leaf springs are swung off, the tension elements are disengaged, and the opened wire loops and the respective tension element are pulled through the wire eyes on the other closing lug. With this embodiment, the putting on and off of the boot is particularly time-consuming and difiicult and it is still required to engage the tension element with the correct notch when putting on the boot. Besides, the fasteners of this type are particularly expensive. With the other types of fasteners which have already been mentioned, the price of the boot is also substantially increased by the tightening lever fasteners compared to laced boots.

In contrast to the known embodiments of the tightening lever fasteners, it is an object of the present invention to provide a skiing boot with tightening lever fasteners which are simple in structure and inexpensive. Besides, it is an object of the invention to provide a skiing boot with tightening lever fasteners which are individually adjustable in respect of the amount of their closing movement whereas the adjustment can always be indefinitely maintained once it has been selected so that it is not required to count the desired hooking portion whenever the skiing boot has been opened. On the other hand, it is an object of the invention to provide a fastener which enables by a simple manipulation a change from the firmly tightened position of the fastener, as required for downhill runs, to a less tight closing position which is desired for climbing, crosscountry skiing and for the common walking with the skiing boots when the skis have been put off.

In a skiing boot having tightening lever fasteners, which boot has on its shank along the instep preferably overlapping closing lugs, which carry the cooperating parts of the tightening lever fasteners, these objects are accomplished according to the invention in that the tightening levers consist of double-armed levers, which are free at both ends and are perferably curved generally in conformity to the curvature of the uppers, and are formed with a plurality of notches for a tension element firmly connected to one of the closing lugs, which notches are arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction of th lever, and with means for holding the tension element in a selected notch, whereas the other holding lug carries a holding claw for that free end of each tightening lever which is disposed near the shank slot, which claw is open toward the side of the tightening lever and forms an abutment for the latter during the closing movement and in the closed position. The primary object of the invention is thus solved in that the tightening lever is separated from its pivot and engages the same only during the closing movement so that the lever can constantly remain connected to the tension element provided on the other closing lug, and it is no longer required to adjust the tension element in the longitudinal direction of the tightener lever. To enable nevertheless a particularly simple change from the firmly tightened position of the tightener lever as required for downhill runs to the less tight position desired, e.g., for climbing, each tightening lever may be provided on its surface confronting the uppers of the ski with a second engaging surface, e.g., a nose, which extends towards the end that cooperates with the holding claw and is closely spaced from this end and can be used instead of the free end for engagement with the holding claw during the closing movement and in the closed position of the lever. When it is desired to reduce the tension after the downhill run, the tightening lever is opened and is then engaged at the above-mentioned nose with the holding claw and is closed again so that the desired relaxation is obtained in a simple manner and does not result in a disorderly appearance of the skiing boot with opened levers, and a difficult or time-consuming adjustment of the tension element to a different notch of the tightening lever is not required.

Further features of the invention will be explained more fully in the subsequent description with reference to the drawing, which shows several embodiments by way of example.

In the drawing,

FIG. 1 is an exploded view showing the parts of a tightening lever fastener of a ski-ing boot according to the invention and indicates how these parts can be assembled.

FIG. 2 shows the fastener of FIG. 1 :at the beginning of the closing operation.

FIG. 3 shows the fastener of FIG. 1 during the closing operation.

FIG. 4 shows the fastener of FIG. 1 in the closed position.

FIG. 5 shows the fastener according to FIG. 1 in a less tight, closed position. In this figure, the tension element, shown in the previous figures and serving to engage the tightening lever, has been omitted.

FIG. 6 is a partly sectional, fragmentary view showing the tightening lever according to the preceding figures with the tension element engaged.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 6 during the shifting of the tens-ion element to a different notch.

FIG. 8 shows a modified embodiment of the tightening lever during the adjustment of the tension element.

FIG. 9 shows the tightening lever according to FIG. 8 in operative position.

FIG. 10 shows a further modification of the tightening lever.

FIG. 11 shows a still further embodiment of the tightening lever.

FIG. 12 shows a further variant of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 7.

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary view showing the variant of FIG, 12 during the adjustment of the tension element.

FIG. 14 shows a skiing boot provided with tightening lever locks according to the invention.

FIG. 15 is an exploded view similar to FIG. 1 and shows the parts of a further embodiment of a tightening lever lock according to the invention.

FIG. 16 is a view showing the tightening lever fastener of FIG. 15 in a closed condition shortly before the engagement of the tightening lever with the holding claw.

FIG. 17 shows the tightening lever of the fastener according to FIGS. 15 and 16 during the adjustment of the tension element to a different tension.

FIG. 1 shows at 1 and 2 the two closing lugs of the shank, which overlap when the fasteners of the skiing boot are closed. In the embodiment shown, the closing lug 1 is provided with pairs of tongues 1a, which have holes 3. Sheet metal straps 4 are riveted to the tongues through the holes 3 in the tongues 1a and the sheet metal straps 4. The outer ends of the straps 4 of each pair of tongues are connected by a rolled-up sheet metal element 5. Each pair of leather tongues 1a, its sheet metal straps 4 and the shaft 5 of rolled-up sheet metal form one of the tension elements carried by the closing lug 1. The tightening lever 6 is curved generally in conformity with the shape of the uppers of the boot and has on its underside fiv notches 7, which extend obliquely towards the grip end of the tightening lever 6 and with which the rolled-up sheet metal shaft 5 is engageable. As is particularly apparent from FIGS. 6 and 7, a leaf spring 8 is riveted to the lower end of the rivet 9, the head 10 of which is slightly smaller in diameter than the bore 11 of the tightening lever 6. The bore 11 is dead-ended and has at its lower end a much smaller bore 12, which guides the shank of the rivet with a small clearance. A spring 13 is arranged between the rivet head 10 and the lower end of the deadended bore 11 and urges the rivet head It upwardly and the leaf spring 8 against the tightening lever 6. The leaf spring 8 has at its front end of turned-up tongue 14, by which it is secured to a corresponding recess 15 in the front end of the tightening lever 6.

A holding claw 16 is riveted to the closing lug 2 at three points, e.g. at 17. The opening of this holding claw faces away from the edge 18 defining the slot of the shank, as is particularly apparent from FIGS. 2 to 5. The retaining claw 16 consists of a curved sheet metal element, which has an abutment surface 19 and side portions 20, which extend forwardly on the sides of this abutment surface. That side portion 20 which is in front in the drawing is indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 1.

When it is desired to apply the fastener to the boot, the metal element 5 connected by the sheet metal straps 4 to the leather tongues 1a is engaged with one of the notches 7. Only thereafter is the sheet metal strap 8 secured to the tightening lever 6 at one end by the rivet 9 and at the other end by the tongue 14 and the recess 15. The tightening lever 6 is thus inseparably connected to the closing lug 1 and its abutment 16 is secured to the other closing lug 2.

The mode of operation of the fastener employed with the skiing boot according to the invention is shown in FIGS. 2 to 5. FIG. 2 shows how the bearing end 21 of the tightening lever 6 is introduced into the holding claw 16. The tightening lever is then closed in the usual manner by turning it over, as is shown in FIG. 3. The end 21 of the tightening lever bears on the abutment surface 19 and the fulcrum of the tightener lever 6 is formed by the point of contact between the rear end 21 and the abutment surface 19. During the closing movement, the lever moves through its neutral position, where the closing lug 1 is under the highest tension by the tongues 1a. In the closed position of the fastener, shown in FIG. 4, the tension element In, 4, 5 holds the tightener lever 6 in its closed position. This is readily apparent from FIG. 4 because the direction of the tension force engaging the shaft 5 is obviously below the position where the end 21 of the tightening lever bears on the abutment surface 19.

Close to the end 21, the tightening lever 6 has a nose 22, which defines a notch extending obliquely toward the end 21, different from the notches 7. As is shown in FIG. 5, the tightening lever 6 may be selectively engaged with the holding claw 16 at the nose 22 rather than at the rear end 21 and may then be closed. The tension of the closing lugs 1 and 2 is thus reduced in accordance with the distance between the rear end 21 of the tightening lever 6 and the nose. For this reason, the position of the tightening lever shown in FIG. 5 is intended for climbing, crosscountry skiing, and for the use of the skiing boots when skis are not applied.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show the tension element in the tension lever to obtain a higher tension. The shaft 5 is simply depressed so that it lifts the sheet metal tongue 8 from the tightening lever 6 against the resistance of the leaf spring 13. The shaft 5 is then applied to another desired notch. Under the action of the spring 13, the sheet metal tongue 8 returns automatically to its initial position. It is not required to remove the tightening lever from the tension element. The tension element also remains in the desired notch 7 when the fastener is opened because the tightening lever 6 is separated from the holding claw 16 and is connected to the closing lug 1 by the tension element 1a, 4, 5.

In the'modification of a tightening lever 6 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the shaft consists of a round bar, which has two parallel flats at least where it extends through the tightening lever 6. The shaft 5 interengages with a lever 23, by which the shaft 5 can be turned at least through 90. The tightening lever 6 is provided with a longitudinal slot 24 to enable an adjustment of the shaft 5 with its lever 23, and has on each side a slot 25, which consists of merging cylindrical bores approximately corresponding in diameter to the outside diameter of the cylindrical surfaces of the shaft 5. There is sufficient space between these individual bores or notches for the displacement of the shaft 5 when the same is in the position shown in FIG. 8, i.e., when the lever 23 has been swung up and the flats of the shaft 5 are in registry with the cylindrical surfaces of the notches.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, a longitudinal slot 26 is formed in the tightening lever 6. A screw has a shank 27 extending through the slot 26, and a milled or knurled head 28, which is accessible on the top of the tightening lever 6. The lower surface of the tightening lever 6 is provided along the slot 26 with notches 29, which are engageable with the cylindrical shaft 5. The screw 27, 28 can be tightened to set the shaft in its position, which can be selected as desired, because the external screw thread of the shank 27 engages the internal screw thread of a bearing member 30, which is secured to the shaft 5 so that a rotation of the screw in a suitable direction will force the shaft 5 upwardly against the selected notch 29. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, a pin 31 extends upwardly from the shaft 5 through the slot 32. This pin is riveted to a curved spring plate 33, which extends in the longitudinal direction of the slot 32. When pressure is applied to the spring plate 33, the spring force thereof can be overcome so that the shaft 5 can be moved out of the previously selected notch 34 into another notch. The embodiment shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 corresponds generally with the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 7. The sheet metal tongue 8 is secured in a very simple manner by rubber strips 35 and 36, which are received in grooves on the top and the side faces of the tightening lever 6 whereas the sheet metal tongue 8 has impressions, such as 37, for receiving the rubber strips 35 and 36.

FIG. 14 shows the skiing boot according to the invention with its tightening lever fasteners. The closing lugs 1 and 2, the tongues 1a and the tightening levers 6 are distinctly apparent, the latter being shown in their closed position.

FIG. 15 shows the details of a further embodiment of a tightening lever fastener according to the invention. In this embodiment, a lateral movement of the tightening lever is prevented by a locking tooth 38 on the holding claw 16 and an aperture 39 in the tightening 'lever 6. This tooth and aperture cooperate in the closed position of the tightening lever to lock the latter. It is particularly distinctly apparent from FIG. 16 that the tightening lever 6 can bear with the inside surfaces of its aperture 39 on a relatively large area on the outside surfaces on both sides of the locking tooth so that an excellent locking action is obtained.

The cross-section of the end 40 of the tightening lever and the opening 41 formed in the holding claw 16 and serving for receiving this end may be selected so that the tightening lever can readily be inserted and turned over into the holding claw but its end 40 is absolutely prevented from leaving the opening 41 when the tightening lever is in the closed position because the lever interlocks with this opening. For this purpose, the end 40 of the tightening lever has a substantially oval portion, which remains behind the opening 41, and the latter has also a generally oval form with a major axis which is approximately parallel to the base plate of the 6 holding claw. On the other hand, the entrance slot 42 of the opening 41 is so narrow that the end 40 of the tightening lever can be inserted only when the tightening lever is approximately at right angles to the base plate of the holding claw 16. When the tightening lever is subsequently turned over, it will be readily locked in the opening 41.

What is claimed is:

1. Fastening means for a ski boot having overlapping closing lugs along the instep thereof, a tension member securely anchored to one of said closing lugs, a double armed lever free at both ends and curved to substantially conform to the curvature of the upper of said boot, said lever :being formed with successive notches for engaging said tension member, means connected to said lever for maintaining said tension member in engagement with a selected notch in said lever, a holding member having an open claw forming a recess for receiving a free end of said lever securely anchored to the other closing lug, said lever being adapted to draw upon said tension member by swinging about a fulcrum formed by the point of contact between the end of said lever and the recess in said open claw and close in said drawn up position, said holding mem ber providing means for supporting said lever while in its swinging and closed position.

2. Fastening means for a ski boot as defined in claim 1 wherein said lever includes a second engaging surface located a short distance in from the end of said lever receivable in the open claw of said holding member, and adapted to be received in the open claw of said holding member :as an alternate to said lever end.

3. Fastening means for a ski boot as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for maintaining said tension member in engagement with a selected notch in said lever includes a tongue like element for closing said notches connected to said lever by resilient means, said resilient :me'ans providing for the disengagement of said tension member from one notch and its reengagement into another selected notch.

4. Fastening means for a ski boot as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for maintaining said tension member in engagement with a selected notch in said lever includes at least one slot in said lever extending approximately parallel to the top face of the lever, said slot being further defined on at least one side by a series of hollow cylindrical surfaces forming said notches and a rotatable member mounted on said tension member notch having cylindrical surfaces and flats for selectively engaging with and disengaging from selected notches.

5. Fastening means for a ski boot as defined in claim 1 wherein said notches are located on the underside of said lever and wherein said means for maintaining said tension member in engagement with a selected notch in said lever includes a longitudinal .slot in said lever perpendicular to the top face of said lever, pin means connected to said tension member and extending through said slot to engage means for securing said pin means and said tension element.

6. Fastening means as defined in claim 5 wherein said pin means includes a threaded bolt having a head wider than the slot on the top side of said lever in threaded engagement with a bearing member mounted on said tension element.

7. Fastening means as defined in claim 5 wherein said pin means is connected to a curved leaf spring maintained under stress and bearing on the top of said lever.

8. Fastening means as defined in claim 1 wherein said holding member is provided with a locking tooth for ooopertain-g with an aperture in said lever so as to prevent lateral movement of said lever when it is in its closed position.

9. Fastening means as defined in claim 8 wherein the opening between the recess formed by said open claw and the locking tooth and the cooperating end of said lever are so shaped as to lock the lever in the opening when the lever is in its closed position. 1 330 75 82,608

References Cited by the Examiner 270,743

UNITED STATES PATENTS 8 FOREIGN PATENTS 5/ 1963 France.

8/ 1895 Germany.

2/ 1914 Germany. 6/ 1942 Great Britain.

WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

MILTON S. MEHR, Examiner. 

1. FASTENING MEANS FOR A SKI BOOT HAVING OVERLAPPING CLOSING LUGS ALONG THE INSTEP THEREOF, A TENSION MEMBER SECURELY ANCHORED TO ONE OF SAID CLOSING LUGS, A DOUBLE ARMED LEVER FREE AT BOTH ENDS AND CURVED TO SUBSTANTIALLY CONFORM TO THE CURVATURE OF THE UPPER OF SAID BOOT, SAID LEVER BEING FORMED WITH SUCCESSIVE NOTCHES FOR ENGAGING SAID TENSION MEMBER, MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID LEVER FOR MAINTAINING SAID TENSION MEMBER IN ENGAGEMENT WITH A SELECTED NOTCH IN SAID LEVER, A HOLDING MEMBER HAVING AN OPEN CLAW FORMING A RECESS FOR RECEIVING A FREE END OF SAID LEVER SECURELY ANCHORED TO THE OTHER CLOSING LUG, SAID LEVER BEING ADAPTED TO DRAW UPON SAID TENSION MEMBER BY SWINGING ABOUT A FULCRUM FORMED BY THE POINT OF CONTACT BETWEEN THE END OF SAID LEVER AND THE RECESS IN SAID OPEN CLAW AND CLOSE IN SAID DRAWN UP POSITION, SAID HOLDING MEMBER PROVIDING MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID LEVER WHILE IN ITS SWINGING AND CLOSED POSITION. 